Oregon's class sizes are the lowest in years as public school attendance declines due to the pandemic and federal stimulus funding, according to new data released this week by the Oregon Department of Education.
While some classrooms — particularly in affluent middle-class and urban and suburban high schools — are more crowded than others, new data suggests the reality in schools differs from most of the talk about class sizes. Although class sizes are small by historical standards, minimum class size requirements have been a key issue in faculty collective bargaining.
But it's unclear how long Oregon can maintain its current average class size of 22 students. Federal pandemic aid that boosted hiring ends next September. In the 2021-2022 school year, average middle school class sizes for the two elementary grades and English and math rose slightly from historic lows, state data shows.
Meanwhile, teachers and parents have the academic and behavioral needs of more than 522,000 students in the system - as of 2018. From 568,000 in 2019, the average class size of 25 students - teachers - has grown significantly since the pandemic and they need everything. You may receive additional support.
Public Schools Superintendent Charlene Williams acknowledged the problem in a call with reporters this week.
"We have signs of an increase in staff numbers, but also an increase in student demand," Williams said. With the changing funding landscape and the loss of federal pandemic aid, counties are scrambling to retain and hire workers.
Nationally, the number of full-time equivalent teachers will increase from 29,500 in 2019 to 30,300 in 2023. Similarly, the rate of teachers returning to their classrooms has remained stable compared to previous years and has recently reached 85 percent. And 87% were removed. A school year suggests that post-pandemic classroom pressures may not make well-documented teachers uncomfortable.
The impact of class size reduction on student achievement has long been controversial. Some research suggests that smaller elementary classrooms may be more cost-effective, especially for students of color or students in poverty. But most research shows that school systems would be better off investing in other priorities, including improving teacher pay, teacher quality and greater academic intervention, rather than reducing class sizes for some students.
Still, Oregon School Board Association spokesman Alex Pulaski said the call for smaller class sizes naturally resonates with parents who want attention and personal attention for their children.
Many districts in the Portland area have taken an equitable budgeting approach — essentially keeping class sizes in the poorest schools, where the highest percentages of students are lagging behind in reading, writing, math and emotional regulation.
Portland Public Schools, for example, had 16 students per class at Rosa Park Elementary School in North Portland. Across town, at the relatively affluent Hayhurst Elementary School in southwest Portland, there were 27 students.
